Ruins
by Zaerith Vrinn
Summary: During a treatening storm, and not just weatherwise, Optimus decides to Tell Sentinel the truth about what happened to Elita, but he already knows, what he says will determine wheter their friendship is saved or lost forever.


**Author's note:** This is (possibly) the final installment of my little series about the relationships between Sentinel, Elita/BlackArachnia, and Optimus. It is not necessary to read _Reassuring Words _or _Only One Wish_ to understand what's happening in this one, though I do make slight reference to _RW_ towards the end of this one, but this takes place literally right after _Stages_ with lots of reference to it so it is probably better to read that one before continuing with this. If you do read it please review, that one is the only fic that hasn't gotten any reviews thus far.

**Warning: **Angst, damaged friendship, anger, vague violence, implied Sentinel x BlackArachnia

**Disclaimer: **TFA belongs to Hasbro, story belongs to me, I belong to mother earth, so to get to me you have to go through the planet HAH!

Ruins

Ultra Magnus called Sentinel Prime over and over again, without response. Static scrambled the other side of the line and even Bumblebee and Bulk-Head were beginning to worry because the Prime had not responded once the whole hour the Autobot leader had been trying to contact him. But silently Optimus was the most anxious for a response from the Elite Guard Commander, a mech who had once been his best and dearest friend.

"Maybe the storm is jumbling up the signal…" Sari said trying to be helpful.

Ultra Magnus shook his head, "The 'storm' hasn't arrived yet, and even if it had it wouldn't be enough to block our communications." He explained concern growing rapidly in his voice "Sentinel Prime, do you copy!?"

"…-ffssttsstt- Se….-fsstt- ime… -st- Sentinel Prime here. Apologies for my delay in responding Sir. Over…-ffst-"

Relief rocked them all. The duration of Sentinel's time to answer the Autobot leader's call had them all worried that perhaps he'd had a run in with a Decepticon. Of course none of them knew how true that was.

"Where are you?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"-fsst- I'm at -fsssffttss- on my way -sssft- your location. Over."

"What?" The old Autobot hit his transmissions, "Say again, there was too much static."

"..-fffst- I said -fst- 'I'm at the bridge, I'm on my way to your location'. Over."

"Sentinel Prime, explain you failure to respond." He ordered.

"-fffsttppt- Will when I get -ffpt- too much static…-sspp- can't hear you. Over."

Ultra Magnus cut the transmission, and everyone relaxed knowing he was alright and would be there shortly. Bumblebee and Bulk-Head turned their game back on wondering why they'd been worried about him, with Sari cheering them on and begging for a chance to play the winner. Jazz and Prowl started to chat about everything from the latest fighting styles to the fish Prowl had seen struggle up a river on the TV that morning. Ratchet went back to work doing whatever it was that he had been doing, leaving Ultra Magnus and Optimus to wait for Sentinel alone.

"Tell me about the 'storms' here on Earth." Ultra Magnus said to break the silence once they were outside the power plant base.

"Hmm…" Optimus looked up at the black sky, "Well… there are different kinds of storms. There's rainstorms, windstorms, snowstorms, but those are usually called blizzards, hailstorms, gales, tornados, hurricanes-"

"What kind are we facing now?" The Older mech asked.

"Rain." Optimus answered "When water on Earth evaporates, meaning it dries up into vapor and ascends to the sky, it becomes clouds, and when too much water is in a cloud it falls back down as rain."

"Why do they call this a 'storm'?"

"Because it in a 'storm' it rains excessively, most of the time causing a flood, or a build up of water where it shouldn't be." Optimus explained

"And there's no way to fight a storm?" Ultra Magnus clenched his staff-hammer, as if tensing to battle an enemy he could not see.

Optimus shook his head, "A storm is a force of nature, you can't fight it, all you can do is wait it out. Sometimes though a storm might pass over without causing harm." He noted the confusion on his leader's face, "Prowl could explain it better." He said.

Ultra Magnus nodded and appeared ready to ask something else when a sudden loud honk announced Sentinel's return. The plow truck's headlights blinded them a moment, before he saw them and slammed his breaks to avoid hitting them, and transformed into robot mode apologizing for not seeing them do to the darkness and bleak weather.

"You are forgiven Sentinel Prime," The ancient Autobot said waving him off, "now do tell why you weren't responding to my call."

"Uhh…About that Sir…" Sentinel replied rubbing a hand behind his head with an uneasy look on his countenance. His optics shifted beyond the larger mech and onto Optimus. The younger Prime noticed something sparkle in them, a strange enlightenment that made Optimus feel sad somehow.

Sentinel moved closer to Ultra Magnus, "May I speak with you privately, Sir?" he asked, his voice had lowered to almost a whisper, and though his words were directed at the Autobot leader his gaze remained on Optimus.

Ultra Magnus looked between the two for a moment the said, "Yes, Optimus Prime you are dismissed." To emphasize his order he stamped his staff into the ground.

Optimus glanced passed him at Sentinel, nodding slowly, the two of them transformed and drove off to somewhere the others would not be able to eavesdrop. Optimus went back inside, the dark clouds shifted and rumbled, wind howled louder. The young Prime shivered against it, even his inner heating couldn't block against its force.

_Its getting worse…_ he thought bleakly,_ but we still have to hold on to hope that it will pass…_

But as he entered their base, Optimus felt no hope. Dark clouds of another kind hung about him. That look Sentinel had given him reminded the young leader so much of the training he and the other mech had retaken after the incident. Sentinel refused to work with him, avoided talking to him, and when he did it was only ever quick offensive remarks.

Optimus took a seat next to Bulk-Head, the big bot had lost the game to Bumblebee, and was now rooting for Sari to win.

The Prime smiled slightly at the closeness of his team, but the smile faded again as he thought about how he, Sentinel and Elita had once been that close. After Elita's 'death' the boys had retaken the course and Elita, now BlackArachnia, had joined the Decepticons. Optimus realized he was staring at his knees and looked up at the ceiling instead.

The day they were in Ultra Magnus' office for the part they had played in Elita's death, Ultra Magnus had said the Sentinel would not stay mad at him forever and that he would get over it eventually. But he hadn't. Optimus felt even further away from Sentinel then he had ever felt before.

_All because Elita One is dead…_

But she wasn't, a little voice in his head reminded him, she lived on as BlackArachnia. Maybe if he told Sentinel the truth of what happened that day, the rift between them would start to repair. But then again…

"Even if he did believe me…" he said in less than a whisper, barely audible to his own sensor, "Would the truth heal or just make his pain worse…?"

He rolled these over and over in his mind. He considered every angle he could think of. If he didn't say anything Sentinel would continue to hate him forever. But if he did, there was a chance that forgiveness could be reached…or Sentinel could hate him more. Optimus clenched his fists and wanted to cry like Sari said humans could do when they were sad.

He knew already that he had to tell Sentinel the truth, because in the end lying would only separate them more, but…

"I… don't want him to hate me…" He whispered again.

Suddenly the door opened and Ultra Magnus walked in. He stamped his staff onto the ground calling for his Elite Guard to gather and announced that they were returning to Cybertron. Jazz groaned and said good-bye to everyone. Ultra Magnus too bid them farewell. He walked over to Optimus and leaned close to his face, and whispered into the young Prime's audio sensors.

"Sentinel Prime wishes to speak with you." he said and backed off, a trace of a smile seemed to be on his lips, but he moved to fast for Optimus to see, "He's waiting outside." The Autobot leader finished as the Elite Guard exited the building.

"What he say boss-bot?" Bumblebee asked, still waving good-bye.

Optimus shook his head, "I'll be right back." He said following the Elite Guard, not bothering to explain what he was doing.

As Ultra Magnus had said, Sentinel was waiting out side, he had not transformed out of his truck-mode and as Optimus approached he backed out onto the street and honked at him, wordlessly telling him to follow.

Optimus hesitated a moment, a moment too long for the other Prime, Sentinel honked again this time louder and longer. Optimus quickly glanced back at the warehouse, and remembered his decision to tell Sentinel the truth of what happened to Elita One.

He transformed and followed him out into the storm. They didn't drive far, just down the street a little, and from the tire marks in the mud, Optimus concluded that this was the same spot he had been talking to Ultra Magnus a little while ago. They transformed and silence ensued.

Sentinel had brought them out here to talk, but for once he didn't seem to know what to say. He turned away from Optimus and looked up to the sky as if asking the cloud for advice. Optimus cautiously took a step toward him. One. Then another. Until he stood at Sentinel's side.

Sentinel may not have known what to say, but Optimus did, and he should have done so when his old friend first came to Earth.

"Sentinel-" he started, but the other Prime found his words and cut him off.

"-Do you remember the day Elita died?" he asked. The question caught Optimus off guard, and he knew immediately, not how, but he knew that Sentinel had found out the truth, and he knew Optimus had not told him. Why else would he be bringing it up?

"Y-yes." Optimus said guiltily. He could hear it in his old friend's tone. Anger and pain. His spark sank, it was too late then, Sentinel would never forgive him now.

Sentinel turned to face him, Optimus looked to the ground, he couldn't bear to see Sentinel's accusing optics again.

"I told you we should have gone back for her…" that was all he said, Optimus had expected more. An insult maybe.

He looked back at Sentinel, confused by the lack of blame in his trembling voice. Instead of anger like he had expected Optimus saw regret. "I'm sorry…" he whispered, "I'm so sorry Sentinel."

"Do you know why we went to that planet?" Sentinel asked turning away again. Once again Optimus was caught off guard by a question.

"We…were looking for that Decepticon war ship…" he answered, "You wanted to find the Energon…"

Rain started to fall as Sentinel turned back to him, shaking his head, "I said that, but it wasn't the _real_ reason."

"What?" Optimus exclaimed, "B-but you, said-" Optimus was cut off again by the other Prime.

"I know, I know. I know what I said, but that wasn't the truth." Sentinel said walking towards a nearby dumpster and taking a seat on it.

Optimus followed, "Then what was…?" he asked.

Sentinel rested his head in his palms, "I only remembered after Elita- or BlackArachnia, was it?- talked to me…" he said, but trailed off.

"And…?" Optimus asked, his spark pulsed dreading the answer. Knowing somehow that it really would put the fault of what happen to their former teammate on his shoulders.

Sentinel looked back up at him, and sighed, "Elita and I had it planned for cycles, it was actually originally her idea, I just insisted on it when she had second thoughts," he explained. "we wanted to go there because…" he paused afraid to admit the truth. "Because of _you_."

Optimus' spark jumped to his throat. "W-why…?" he finally croaked.

The older bot stood up, "Well, Optimus back in those days you were a…I believe the human term is 'Party-Pooper'." He answered, "You did everything by the book, never taking a chance or a risk, just following procedure. We…we wanted you to break out of that habit and have fun every once in while. We thought by doing something stupid and risky and coming out of it okay, you would start doing it more often, but…" he trailed off again, but this time Optimus knew what words he was leaving out.

"But we didn't come out okay." He finished, Sentinel nodded. "If you'd just said so, I would have tried to change… So, why say Energon?" Optimus asked, trying to break the tension.

Sentinel shrugged, "Elita took history, what _was_ I supposed to say?" he answered.

There was silence a moment before Optimus gave a quite laugh, "Well, I suppose it _would_ have been awkward if _you_ had said history and _Elita_ said Energon." He giggled.

The comment earned the first genuine smile he had seen from Sentinel in eons.

But it didn't last long before Sentinel's face grew grave again. "Do you think," he asked, "that if we'd gone back after the explosion…she would have still joined the Decepticons?"

Optimus shook his head, "No, I think the feeling of abandonment was what drove her to them, if we'd gone back we might have convinced her to come back with us."

"Then _why_ did we just leave her!?" Sentinel shouted suddenly. "If we'd gone back like _I_ said she'd still be with us!"

"Sentinel!" Optimus cried, "We didn't go back because we thought she was off-line-"

"-And you knocked me out!"

"What!?" Optimus argued, "I did not!"

"Yes you did!" Sentinel countered, "Remember? We got in a fight and you hit me in the head, I blacked out after that!"

Optimus realized what Sentinel meant, or thought he meant, "Yes," he said, "we got in a fight, and I hit you, but that's not why you passed out."

Sentinel's optics narrowed, half in anger, half in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"You remember just as well as I that the first spider we ran into bit you and you blacked out." He explained, "Apparently there was still venom running through your systems. After I hit you, you stood back up and came at me again, but before you reached me your wound started acting up and you passed out. I got scared, I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost both of you that day so I got you back to the ship and treated you as best I could with the medical supplied we had, and headed back to Cybertron."

Sentinel opened his mouth to argue, but found nothing to snap back and instead turned around. Optimus headed towards the road, he would have to pass Sentinel to get there, but he thought it would be better to leave the other Prime alone with his thoughts for a while. But as he passed Sentinel grabbed his had and stopped him.

He didn't turn around, just held him back for a moment, "I'm sorry…" he said. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. I shouldn't have ever been mad at you or blamed you for what happened; it's my fault I should have known better. Will you forgive me?"

Optimus smiled and turned to face him, he'd waited a thousand stellar cycles to hear that, "If I say yes does that mean you won't hate me any more?" he teased, knowing Sentinel knew the answer the moment he asked.

Sentinel laughed, "I never _hated_ you Optimus, old Buddy, I just wanted you to hate me." He faked a cough and explained his strange words. "I didn't know what I would have done if I lost both of you either, so I pushed you away, thinking I couldn't lose a friend I didn't have."

"I'll always be your friend Sentinel." He replied.

"I know. I'm lucky to have you." The other Prime extended his hand in friendship. Optimus took it, but was surprised when Sentinel yanked him closer into a hug, which he gladly accepted and returned.

Neither had been so happy in a thousand stellar cycles.

Optimus heard a noise and looked over his friend's shoulder. The sight surprised him.

"Sentinel!" he exclaimed, breaking away from him and pointing to the sky were the ship of the Elite Guard was departing, "They're leaving without you!" he honestly thought he and Sentinel had been out to long and the others were tired of waiting for him.

Sentinel nodded. "It's alright, I'm not going back with them." he said.

Optimus turned back to him with a confused look. "What…?"

"I'm leaving the Elite Guard. I already talked to Ultra Magnus about it." Sentinel replied.

"Talked to Ultra Magnus…? Did you tell him about Elita!?" Optimus panicked a little. If Ultra Magnus knew he would surly order her terminated.

"Not really." Sentinel said, "I told him that I ran into a Decepticon, I never mentioned an identity, I just said I froze up…again, and that I wanted to leave the Elite Guard until I was a bot worthy of the position."

"You lied to him." Optimus corrected.

"I suppose so." Sentinel replied "I told BlackArachnia I would find a cure with or without the Elite Guard, and I'm going to keep my word."

"But Sentinel," Optimus put a hand on his shoulder, "If you leave the Elite Guard they'll be short a commander. Who'll take your place?"

Sentinel smiled at him, "You will. When I talked to Ultra Magnus it didn't take long to agree you were the best choice; not after he told me why you ended up on the repair crew, anyway." He answered; the smile dropped again, "You didn't have to do that for me."

"It was my apology," Optimus told him, "Ultra Magnus told me you'd stop being mad at me eventually, but we'd have to go separate ways while you were still upset and I volunteered."

"You didn't have to." Sentinel repeated.

"But I choose to." Optimus moved his hand off his friend's shoulder, "What will you do now?"

Sentinel shrugged, "Ultra Magnus said he'd leave me a one-bot shuttle, I'm going to look for a cure, I don't have any idea were I'll start, but I'm leaving as soon as we're done here." He said and offered his hand again, "Will you join the Elite Guard for me Optimus, Old Buddy?"

Optimus took his hand in agreement, "Yes."

"Thank you." He took his hand back, transformed and headed towards the road. Then he stopped and honked to get Optimus' attention one last time. "And see if you can pull some strings for Bumblebee and Bulk-Head, I'm starting to think I was a little rough on those boys!"

Before Optimus could reply, Sentinel sped off vanishing into the distance. "Good-bye then Sentinel." He said looking up and noticing two things.

One was that the storm had passed and the sun was starting to peek out over the horizon, a beautiful sight that made his spark ache, wishing Sentinel to come back and see it. The second, a silhouette on top of a nearby building, a shape he recognized.

BlackArachnia.

Had she been there listening the whole time?

As if to answer his wonder the spider turned away in a frustrated manner. Even at the distance he was at he could see conflict growing in her. Optimus lowered his head.

In human religions they prayed to their 'God', telling him of their greatest wishes and hope. He'd never thought of something like that before, but now Optimus whispered a prayer to Primus, asking for Sentinel's success, safe return, and Elita's forgiveness.

He transformed and returned to the base, sharing the news of his sudden promotion to the Elite Guard, with a promise to all his friends to help them achieve their goals as well.

**Author's end note:** Possible sequel? Maybe, I have a few ideas of how to do one; it all depends on the feed back I get from this. I think this is the most emotional one-shot I've ever written. Please review and tell me what you think!

**Editor's note: **No flames, ya got that? This story was way too sweet for that. As for Zaerith's ideas… we bounce ideas off each other so it'sss bound to be good.


End file.
